Training device for swimmers



Dec. 28, 1965 swm 3,226,114

TRAINING DEVICE FOR SWIMMERS Filed April 8, 1963 INVENTOR.

JOHN L] 5W/DEE A OE/VEV United States Patent Oflice Patented Dec. 28, 1965 3,226,114 TRAINING DEVICE FOR SWIMMERS John L. Swider, 1909 S. Brophy Ave., Park Ridge, Ill. Filed Apr. 8, 1963, Ser. No. 271,293 6 Claims. (Cl. 272-57) This invention relates to a device for effectively practicing swimming and more particularly to a swim exercising and training device.

With the advent of organized swimming contests, training methods have become more scientific. In the beginning competitive swimmers trained by pushing or pulling such loads as logs. Other means used for developing specific strokes and stamina included such things as tying together the swimmers feet with an inner tube; tying a rope with one end tied to the swimmer and the other end fastened to the side of the pool.

These devices all proved beneficial but they were comparatively haphazard and were made and used with little thought so as to what actually was required of a swim exerciser. Modern swimming coaches have discovered that for a swimmer to have maximum speed and endurance, his stroking must be in near perfect opposition. That is the swimmers motions must be in spaced sym metry about an axis running parallel to the swimmers spinal column. Accordingly, any exercising device used by the swimmer must not interfere with this required per fect opposition. For example, if the swimmer would have to change his stroke to overcome responsive actions of the drag device being used, movements tending to destroy the perfect opposition required would be developed to the detriment of the swimmers stroking motions.

The swim exercising device, therefore, must provide a maximum drag to build up the swimmers endurance. While providing this drag, it must not hamper or upset the swimmers opposition. The swimming exerciser and trainer will not cause bad swimming habits if it permits the swimmer to glide and hardly changes the drag it provides responsive to its motions caused by the swimmers strokes.

Maximum drag can -be obtained by using a rope tied to the swimmer and fastened to a stationary point at the edge of the pool. The drawback in this arrangement is that the swimmer does not obtain the benefit of co-ordinating his stroke with the glide that his stroke would normallygive him.

Merely tying together the swimmers feet, as with an inner tube, only provides the drag caused by the feet.

Logs used as swimming trainers provide too much buoyancy and insufficient drag. Kickboards when held by the swimmer in practicing kicks also have certain disadvantages. For example, the angle of attack of the board in the water can easily be changed by the swimmer so that the swimmer does not necessarily obtain the drag seemed necessary by the swimming coach. It is extremely difficult for the coach to detect the change in the angle of attack.

Thus, prior art swim exercising and training devices fail to provide maximum drag with minimum interference with the swimmers opposition.

The primary object of this invention is to provide a new and novel swim exercising and training device.

Another object of this invention is a swim exercising and training device that provides maximum drag with minimum opposition interference.

Another object of this invention is to provide a swim exercising and training device that is inexpensive to construct, takes up little storage space, is expedient to use and affords a coach means for readily recognizing the angle of attack of the device in the water.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a swim exercising and training device that can be used with equal facility to exercise and train the legs, the arms or both simultaneously.

In accordance with one aspect of the invention, a flat vertical member and a fiat horizontal member are attached together at substantially right angles. Means are provided for adjustably connecting loops to the members. These loops are used to attach the exercising device to the swimmer at points on the device that will ascertain that the horizontal member remains parallel to the surface while the vertical member remains perpendicular to the surface while the swimmer is stroking. This insures maximum drag with minimum interference with the swimmers opposition.

The above mentioned and other objects and advantages of this invention and the manner of obtaining them will become more apparent and the invention itself will be best understood, by reference to the following description of an embodiment of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 shows in oblique form an exemplary embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 1a shows details of one means of connecting the device to the swimmer;

FIGS. 2-2b show diagrammatically the dynamic inwater response of an embodiment of the inventive device.

Referring now to FIG. 1, there is illustrated a swim exercising and training device adapted to be towed or pushed by swimmers when training to improve their styles. The device comprises a horizontal member 1 perpendicularly attached to a vertical member 2. The mode of attachment is immaterial to the invention but it could be by screws, such as screws 3. Nail fasteners or glue could be used as well.

One embodiment of the invention (not shown) used right angle brackets to join vertical member 1 to horizontal member 2. Another embodiment of the invention discloses the use of hinges for adjustably joining horizontal member 1 to vertical member 2.

Means are provided for linking the device to the swimmer so that the swimmer can tow the exercising and training device while swimming. In greater detail chains 4, 5 are connected between vertical member 2 and horizontal member 1 near both edges thereof to form the hypotenuse of a triangle comprising the horizontal and vertical members and the chains. The chains may be connected to the vertical and horizontal members by means of threaded eyebolts such as 6, screwed into each of the members at the points shown in the illustration. Straps 9, 10 ending in loops 11, 12 are conveniently connected to the chains.

It should be understood that invention is not limited to hypotenuse members 4, 5 comprising chains, nor to the looped members 9, 10 comprising straps. They both could for example, comprise rope without having a detrimental effect on the invention.

Means are provided for coupling the strap members 9, 10 to chains 4, 5. In greater detail as best shown in FIG. la, a springed turnbuckle coupler 16 may be used. This type of coupling is convenient for use with chains 4, 5 since its position along chains 4, 5 can readily be altered by using lever 17 to move shaft 18 to open the coupler and simply attach it to another link in the chains.

The loops 11, 12 are simply slipped over the feet of the swimmer, whereby, to propel himself along he must drag the exercising device along, stroking with his arms while keeping his feet relatively stationary. While not illustrated, the invention also contemplates the use of longer strap members designed to attach around the waist of the swimmer allowing him to exercise both his arms and his legs simultaneously.

Means may be provided for grasping the inventive device when the swimmer uses it to train and exercise his feet. More specifically finger holes 21 best seen in FIG.

' water.

l are provided. If the swimmer attempts to vary the drag caused by the inventive device by tilting it to change its angle of attack, the horizontal member 1 will protrude out of the water instead of riding along the surface of the Any protrusion or change in position of the horizontal member 1 will be readily discerned by the swimming coach.

Referring now to FIG. 2, therein is illustrated the medium attitude or angle of attack of inventive device when towed by a swimmer. When the device is in this position, it provides a medium drag with the minimum effect on the swimmers opposition. The strap members 9, 10 are attached about two-thirds of the way along the hypotenuse chain members from horizontal member 1 to vertical member 2. This off center condition is required to balance the forward force exerted by the swimmer and thus maintain the horizontal member 1 parallel to the water surface.

When the strap members 9, 10 are connected to the chain members 4, above or below the points shown in FIG. 2, the inventive device rests askew in the water as shown in FIG. 2a and FIG. 2b respectively. When the inventive device is in either of these two postures, the exercising and training device generates more and less drag respectively, than that of FIG. 2. Thus if the device has an attitude as illustrated in FIG. 2a, the inventive device would tend to generate a maximum drag in the direction of motion. In addition the attitude or angle of attack would vary only slightly with each stroke of the swimmer. These movements of the inventive device would cause the swimmer to alter and improve his strokes,

. subconsciously, in an attempt to counterbalance the resultant forces. The result is that the swimmer improves the symmetry of his strokes because if he loses opposition, he would immediately detect a variance in the drag.

One known embodiment of the device used successfully to train members of a swimming team was constructed of 1% inch clear pine wood. Its vertical and horizontal members were each 18 inches wide and 12 inches long.

dicular to said horizontal member, chain means connected between said members to form a hypotenuse of a triangle comprising said members and said chain means, said chain means comprising a plurality of links, and connecting means for attaching said device to a swimmer, said connecting means including means for readily attaching one end of said connecting means to any selected one of said links and including readily removable strap means for attaching the other end of said connecting means to the swimmer.

2. A swim exercising and training device comprising a horizontal member, a vertical member hinged to said horizontal member, chain means connected between said horizontal member and said vertical member, to maintain said vertical member disposed at a pre-determined angle with respect to said horizontal member, means for varying the length of said chain means to alter the said angle between said members, and connecting means for attaching said device to a swimmer, said connecting means including means for attaching one end of said connecting means to said chain means and including means for attaching the other end of said connecting means to the swimmer.

3. A swim exercising and training device comprising a horizontal member, a vertical member attached perpendicular to said horizontal member, chain means connected between said members to form a hypotenuse of a triangle comprising said members and said chain, strap means, loop means terminating said strap means, said strap means connected to said chain means whereby when said loops are placed around the legs of a swimmer his motion causes the device to assume an attitude wherein the horizontal member is parallel to the surface of the water and said vertical member faces the direction of motion.

4. The exercising and training device of claim 3 wherein handholes are provided in said vertical member to facilitate the use of said device as a kickboard.

5. In the swim exercising and training device of claim 4 wherein said vertical member is flat.

6. In the swim exercising and training device of claim 5 wherein said horizontal member is flat.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 5/1955 Munn. 10/1955 Vorenkamp 114-209 X DELBERT B. LOWE, Examiner. 

3. A SWIM EXERCISING AND TRAINING DEVICE COMPRISING A HORIZONTAL MEMBER, A VERTICAL MEMBER ATTACHED PPERPENDICULAR TO SAID HORIZONTAL MEMBER, CHAIN MEANS CONNECTED BETWEEN SAID MEMBERS TO FORM A HYPOTENUSE OF A TRAINGLE COMPRISING SAID MEMBERS AND SAID CHAIN, STRAP MEANS, LOOP MEANS TERMINATING SAID STAP MEANS, SAID STRAP MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID CHAIN MEANS WHEREBY WHEN SAID LOOPS ARE PLACED AROUND THE LEGS OF A SWIMMER HIS MOTION CAUSES THE DEVICE TO ASSUME AN ATTITUDE WHEREIN THE HORIZONTAL MEMBER IS PARALLE TO THE SURFACE OF THE WATER AND SAID VERTICAL MEMBER FACES THE DIRECTION OF MOTION. 